Taylor Whiteman's Internship at the Most Magical Place on Earth

Taylor Whiteman posing with Pocahontas and Meeko, characters from the Disney movie, Pocahontas.

Taylor Whiteman, a senior at Frostburg State University, spent seven months in Florida participating in the Disney College Program. A mass communication student with a minor in psychology, Whiteman focuses on public relations. Despite her focus, her internship in the program involved entertainment costuming. This included maintaining the costumes of Disney characters so that they were looking their best when visitors met their favorite characters, as well as prepping all the costumes at the nighttime show, Fantasmic. Both of which locations were stationed at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Born in Cumberland, Whiteman was raised in Hagerstown, Maryland, just under 80 miles from Frostburg. She chose to come to FSU because of the financial benefits offered, as well as the distance. “It was far enough from my family that I got some distance from them, but close enough that I could be home in a few hours if need be,” Whiteman commented on the subject.

On the topic of distance, Whiteman's decision to partake in the Disney College Program was influenced by her desire to want to do a semester away from FSU. Because studying abroad would lead to a costly half-year term, Disney seemed a more reasonable choice. Her time away was somewhat difficult, but her time spent in the two years of college she’d finished helped her to adjust. Her parents’ support also contributed to making her decision easier. In fact, her mother drove down with her and flew back home so that she wouldn’t be alone on the trip and would have access to her car in Florida. The most difficult part of her being away from home according to Whiteman, was her missing her Australian Shepherd, Echo.

In her spare time, Whiteman enjoys sitting back and relaxing to some of her favorite TV shows, which change in time. Whiteman reflected on her free time at Disney stating, “I was super into Gilmore Girls in Florida for my internship.” Currently, her number one show to binge-watch is Parks and Recreation, with Orange is the New Black following.

After reminiscing on her time spent in Florida, Whiteman then spoke of future plans and where she plans to go after she graduates. Her aspirations involve the digital aspect of mass communication, specifically relating to social media for businesses. Remarking this subject, Whiteman voiced, “My dream job is to work at Buzzfeed or something like that.” A time well spent and an experience to remember, it’s safe to say that Taylor enjoyed her partake in the Disney College Program and she is without a doubt capable of succeeding in all it takes to achieve her dream job position.